1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a joint brace, more particularly to a movement restraining device for a joint brace to limit the range of angular motion of the joint, and a joint brace having said movement restraining device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Limb joints are an important part of the human body, and because of frequent movement, are easily injured. When a limb joint is injured, a brace is necessary to secure the joint to thereby prevent excess angular motion of the joint that may cause a second injury, especially to the joint ligament or muscle.
A frequently seen joint brace is a flexible tubular sleeve that is sleeved tightly on the limb joint so as to fix the joint. However, the effect of limiting the angular motion of the joint is poor with the use of such a conventional joint brace. Another kind of conventional joint brace includes a hinged plate assembly including two support plates connected pivotally to each other. Through the hinged plate assembly, the angular motion of the joint can be limited effectively. However, since the hinged plate assembly is large and heavy, the force to be exerted by the user to carry the brace around his or her limb joint is large.